Red Visions ( zombietalia book 2)
by Violet Oakwood
Summary: Vash is dead! What know? Violet is alone... Or... So she thinks.le there is someone who cares deeply for her, but she has yet to realize the extent of his love for her, while she's absorbed in the loss of her love, everything begins to change as a new man makes his way into her life and heart.
1. An Unlikely Allie

Violet opened her eyes ever so slowly, her head was pounding, and she couldn't recognize where she was. Gently she lifted her head and looked around, the room was small, with two chairs and a table being the only thing inside. " Hello?" she winced in pain and placed a hand gingerly on her forehead. She stood up and looked around, but felt like something was off, her hair was tied up into a high ponytail, that was new. She yanked out the ponytail and waited to feel her hair brush against her thighs, but instead felt it fall to maybe her mid-back. " W-What..." she took a lock of her in her hands and realized, not only had it been combed out, but cut, and washed. " Who the hell..." suddenly the door opened and a man stepped inside, Violet turned to face him nervously. He was extremely tall, with black hair and dark gray eyes. " Oh hey, you're up. Took you long enough." he chuckled, as Violet shrugged. " Where am I? I can't remember anything except..." she trailed off, something was coming back to her... a body. A lot of blood and... emerald green eyes. Everything hit her at once, sending her to her knees as though she'd actually been punched, she immediately burst into tears, her loud sobbing echoing straight through the hallway. " Oh geez are you okay?" he ran over to her and knelt in front of her. " What happened? Damn did I say something?" he asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Violet shook her head and sniffled. " No... No it's nothing... I'm fine..." she wiped her tears and looked up at him. " Are my brother and sister here... and... oh my god... has she-" " If you're talking about Ivy... yeah she had her baby a few hours ago. A little boy, they named it Peter, and his middle name is Vash... I don't know where they got that from but-" " Vash is... was... my boyfriend, he died not long ago." Violet mumbled. " Oh geez... that must've been the dead guy Al was talking about." Violet looked at him curiously. " Who's Al?" the man laughed and stood up. " Right. I forgot you probably wouldn't know who he is. Well he's sort of the one that brought you guys here. You're brother and sister were positive you weren't going to come with him easily, so he knocked you out with the part of his bat that didn't have nails in it." Violet glared at him and made her way to her feet. " Oh gee, tell him I said thanks." " Oh that's right. I never caught your name." " It's Violet." " I'm Nyx." Violet nodded and sat down. " So what exactly is supposed to happen now?" Nyx shrugged and leaned back against the wall. " Well that depends on if you're bitten or not." Violet rolled up her sleeves and pant legs, then checked her stomach. " Don't think so."

" Well in that case you're free to go wander around. Go find your brother and sister, meet the baby. Maybe find Al. You know for knowing you for about five seconds and considering you were unconscious for four of them, he's taken quite a liking to you." Violet rolled her eyes and walked out the door. " I'm sure he has." She froze... something clicked in her mind and her eyes widened. She turned back to Nyx and gulped. " He didn't... do anything... well... you know... right?" Nyx looked at her in confusion for a moment, then his face turned bright red and he shook his head furiously. " No! No no no! Al's not that kind of guy. Why? Did something-" Violet spun on her heels and ran off before he could even ask. She stopped at one of the doors and heard three voices inside, well... two and some babbling. Violet looked inside and her face lit up. Ivy was cradling a small baby in her arms, it had bright red eyes that matched Gilbert's, he was adorable. Violet entered the room and Ivy and Gilbert looked at her happily. " Vi! Hey! Come say hi to your new little nephew." Violet ran over, clearly over joyed and looked down at him. " Awwwww... he's so cute! I Heard you named him after Vash." Gilbert nodded and placed a hand on Violet's shoulder. " It felt right." Violet smiled and hugged him tightly.

" Do you want to hold him?" Ivy asked. Violet nodded happily and pulled up a small wooden chair. Ivy handed her the small child, and Violet took him delicately. Peter giggled and grabbed a small strand of her hair and gave it a small tug. Violet hissed a little bit and gently pulled her hair away, he looked at her in confusion, then giggled and grasped her black tank top. " Awww. I want one." Violet teased. Gilbert frowned and Ivy laughed a little. " Well you're going to have to wait." Gilbert mumbled, Violet noticed that his German accent had faded a lot. " I know. But look at him! He's just too cute~" Violet chuckled as Matthew took a hold of her finger and looked at it curiously, his little hands wrapped around it as he pulled it down closer to his face and just continued to stare. " Hey it's my kid Violet!" Ivy teased. Violet smiled and handed her the small baby, she took him gladly and held him close to her, where he began to play with her hair, getting it tangled in his fingers. " So have you met Al yet?" Violet shook her head and stood up, pointing a finger at them. " You told him to knock me out! My head still hurts! You bitches!" the two laughed and shrugged. " Well we knew you weren't going to be too happy about leaving Vash, but you had to move on. I mean-" " Don't... I know... I'm going to miss him... he meant a lot to me." Violet sighed and headed toward the door. " I'll... I'll see you guys later."

Violet closed the door behind her and leaned against it, she placed a hand on her forehead and sighed loudly. She stared up at the ceiling and allowed tears to fill her eyes, he was really gone, she never thought she'd see the day. They were going to have a life together, she practically felt her heart breaking all over again at the memory. " Hey doll face. What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Violet turned to face the man talking to her. " I... I was just..." she inhaled deeply and wiped her tears. " I just needed some time by myself." Violet explained. " It's about that guy wasn't it?" Violet looked at him in shock... how would he know about Vash? This must be Al. Violet blushed once she got a look of him that wasn't blurred by tears. He was tall, extremely muscular, with auburn...ish... hair, almost her hair color, and bright red eyes that matched hers perfectly. He was really tan, and was wearing a bomber jacket and sunglasses that rested on the top of his head. " U...Um... I..." she nodded and looked away. " Hm... you're not as tough as I made you out to be." " Excuse you! You have no idea all the crap I had to deal with out there!" Violet stormed up to him and stared him in the eyes, he was taller and stronger then she would ever be, but she didn't care, he would know how strong she really was.

" I don't quite think you get it! I've fought off hundreds... no... thousands of those things! Fought with family, got raped, lost everything! And guess what?! Here I am! So how dare you say I'm not strong! I'd like to see you try to handle the things I've seen! Do the things I've done! Do you realize how long it's been since I ate something more then a fucking cherry or two ?! No?! Well here's a hint asshole! Going on my first month pal! Who's the weak one now?!" she cried, at this point she was tearing up, and felt dizzy on her feet, at the mere mention of food she felt a thousand times weaker. " A month?! Oh geez. Come on doll. You can't go for that long without food and still survive!" he wrapped an arm around her waist and allowed her to lean on him for support. " Who said I wanted your help?" Violet snapped. " Oh will you just shut up for once? You need food, and when a person can't walk straight.. usually that either means they're drunk or really weak, and I don't see any beer around here do you?" Al mumbled. Violet opened her mouth to say something... but instead smiled gently. " Thanks, at least you care." she threw her arm over his shoulders and continued to walk, she was probably up to his chin, so she was at least fairly close to him height, and she was able to walk without having to stand on her toes. " So... that sucks... what happened to you." Al muttered. Violet shrugged it off. " It's in the past, what happened... happened... there's nothing I can do about it now but move forward with my life."

Al smirked and nodded. " I guess so, it must be weird for a goody goody like you to be hanging around a bad boy like me." Violet shrugged and loosened her grip on him. " Well you can't be that bad, I mean you helped me, even though you did it a little... differently?" the two laughed and kept walking, they reached the kitchen and he sat her down gently. " I'm vegetarian, figured I should say that before I give you anything." he grinned and started going through cabinets. " I'm honestly not hungry, I don't see why-" " Well of course you aren't hungry." Al interrupted while grabbing a small box out of the pantry. " You haven't eaten in so long that your body is just used to not having food. That's not exactly a good thing you know." he chuckled. " That's also why I can't give you much, even what I'm going to give you might make you sick, even though it's just a granola bar." he tossed it underhand to her, and she caught it quickly. " Thanks. But you really shouldn't waist your food supply on me." she pointed out. Al beckoned her over, she followed and looked in the cabinets, boxes of food stacked up on each other, the cabinets were even full. " Wow... where do you-" " When we start getting low we assign people to go out and get food from stores and gas station, that's how Nyx and I found you guys. Now eat. Wanna lift up your shirt a little?" Violet looked at him awkwardly and took a step back. " Not particularly no." Al chuckled and grasped the hem of her shirt. " As if you had a choice." he lifted her shirt about halfway up, directly under her chest, and looked at her stomach. Violet looked at him in confusion as he nodded and placed a hand on her stomach.

She was practically skin and bones, no muscle or fat what so ever. Damn... when she meant a month was right. " You did some damage, it'll probably take awhile until you reach the weight you should be at." He lowered her shirt down and sneered. " What? Did you think I was gonna try something?" Violet blushed and looked away in embarrassment, she expected him to yell of get angry, but instead he just laughed. " Well I cant' say I blame you, not with all the crap you've been through." he chuckled when she started eating and nodded quickly. " Alright, so... um... funny story... I think that we might have to share a room." Violet's eyes widened and she looked at him, her face bright red. " Wh-Wha?! But-" " Look I know it sucks but I'm not gonna be able to pull another bed out of my ass so you'll just have to deal." he snapped. Al turned away, not exactly thinking about what she was feeling, when he heard her voice from behind him. " Okay... I understand, it's not a big deal." Al looked at her, she was smiling brightly, her head was slightly tilted to the right, and she was smiling warmly. " You were nice enough to take my family and me in, and one of us could easily have been bitten, but you did it anyway. I trust you." He was shocked, he turned to her and grinned. " Oh? And what makes you think you can trust me?" he crossed his arms and smirked. " Because I'm not scared of you. I'm just not, I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'm sure one day you'll figure it out." then, she just walked right up to him and poked his cheek playfully before running off down the hallway, her long red hair flowing as she ran. He placed a hand on his cheek and stared after her, before feeling someone tap his shoulder.

" Not so tough around her now are you?" "..."

SMACK

" Ow! You asshole!" " Shut up Nyx... I'm manly as hell."


	2. Getting Closer

Al groaned and stood outside his room, ever since he'd found Violet something felt off. She was so... different... then other girls he'd seen. They all were constantly crying or whining about the zombies, and wouldn't shoot a gun if you payed them, but this one... this one was willing to fight off a zombie wiith her bare hands if it were to protect someone she cared about. Plus... she was so... beautiful... He groaned and face-palmed angrily, beautiful?! He never described a girl as beautiful! Just hot, or sexy or maybe..._maybe_ pretty if they were lucky. Beautiful was such a sappy word, but... she was! He sighed and entered his room, only to see her sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. Her eyes were closed, and her head was also resting on the wall. Al took a few more steps inside and caught a glimpse of her face... was she... crying? " Hey... what's wrong doll-face?" he knelt in front of her and shook her lightly. Violet looked down at him with a blank expression and sighed. " Nothing Al.. . Just... some bad memories is all." she stood up and smiled halfheartedly before sitting on his bed. Part of her felt awkward about it... but they would be sleeping together... so might as well get used to it now. " Wanna talk?" Al asked.

Violet looked at him, then sighed and laid face up on the soft bed. " I don't really know... I just... I don't know what I've done wrong?! All these terrible things are happening to the people I care about and it's all my fault! Vash... Lilli... Michelle... everyone! It's really starting to get to me you know?" she turned to him sadly and sniffled. Al stared at her shyly, he had never been put in this situation, having to comfort a girl like this. After a few moments he got up and sat next to her before awkwardly wrapping an arm around her. She looked up at him and began quietly sobbing into his shoulder. He sat very still and gently rubbed her back, trying to be as soothing as possible, considering he wasn't exactly the type to be gentle and calming. " Well... I'm sure that it's not you're fault, all in all you seem like a really good girl, and I saw what you did out there... shooting your boyfriend just to keep him from turning. That must've been pretty hard on you." Violet nodded and lifted her head, she sniffled a little before smiling at him and hugging him tightly. " Thanks... you seem like a nice guy. To be honest... at first I didn't really trust you. But you've helped me out a lot... so... I guess I really have no other option." she chuckled and pulled away from him, the two stared at each other deeply. Al smirked and started to lean in to her, but she pulled away and stood up. " I... I don't feel good... I'll be right back." she crossed her arms loosely over her chest and walked shyly out of the room.

" So you're already trying to make a move on the new chick huh?"

Al looked over his shoulder and saw Hunter and Cain watching him from the doorway. Cain was moderately tall, with black hair and red eyes, and Hunter was about the same height with brown hair and silver eyes, they were practically brothers, and were almost never apart. " N-No! She's not even that good looking." Al muttered, he looked away and groaned before flopping back on the bed. " But damn she is!" Hunter laughed and entered the room with Cain at his heels, he sat on the bed next to him and laughed. " I heard from Nyx you said she was ' Beautiful'" he laughed as Al sat up and smacked him upside the back of the head. " Well she's not! She's just... I don't know... different!" he paused and looked outside where she left. " She's really tough for starters, and went through some major shit before she got here. Shot her own boyfriend in the head just to make sure he didn't turn... she fought off a herd of them and nearly got bit, she got kidnapped, raped, nearly killed herself, watched almost everyone she loved die right in front of her, and here she is now." he grinned and looked over to them. " Dare I say, I think I may be developing a crush." Cain and Hunter just stared at him for a moment, then nodded. " At least you're actually gonna admit it for once. By the way I met her brother, you better not pull a hit and run like with the last girl, he will kill you." Cain mumbled, he crossed his arms and laughed as Al rolled his eyes and chased after her.

After searching for a few minutes he looked into the bathroom and saw her, and she didn't look too good. She was sitting on the edge of the bath tub with a glass of water and a bottle of pills in her hand, her hair was wet, and she was only wearing a towel. After a moment she looked up at him and smiled softly. " I hope you don't mind, I took a quick shower." she moaned and placed a hand on her forehead. " I feel like crap." she muttered. Al laughed and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him and sitting down next to her. " I hope you aren't doing what I think you are." Al teased, referring to the pills next to her. " Hm? Oh no... my head just hurts... I needed an aspirin." she explained. Al nodded and looked down, suddenly noticing the cut on her arm, not just one though... a few of them... not open cuts or anything, just scars. He sighed, of course she cut, he wasn't surprised in the least, it was too bad that a girl as kind as her would go through that.

" So... um... I hope this doesn't come across as rude or mean or anything, but what do you want?" Violet asked. Al looked over to her and smiled warmly. " I just came to check on you, you didn't look so good." Violet nodded and stood up, making sure her towel stayed on tight. " Oh, well um... I should find my brother..." she looked over to him and smiled. " By the way, do have any spare shirts or anything?" Violet asked. " Oh... yeah I do! I'll grab you one." he stood up and started out the door, but felt her grab his wrist, he looked back at her, she was still holding onto her towel with one hand, and she was smiling widely. " I'm glad you took me here. I know I still have a ways to go, but maybe I'll get back to normal." she sighed and looked away, her face dusted a light pink. " I talked to Nyx a little, and he said you weren't the nicest guy most of the time. But... in all reality, you saved not only my life, but my families too. That means a lot to me." she let go of his wrist and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. " So I guess what I'm really trying to say is... thank you... for everything."

Al stared at her in confusion. But eventually his confusion melted into a warm smile, then he turned to the door and sighed. " I am a bad guy, I don't get why you trust me, but you do, and that's all that matters... so... yeah... you're welcome...Violet." he walked out, leaving her standing there in shock.

She quietly whispered to herself.

" You never called me by my name before."


	3. Fading Away

Gilbert sighed and rubbed Violet's back softly, Ivy sat next to them, watching sympathetically as she cried into her pillow. " Violet... please I-" " No Gil... I miss him... I miss him so much." she threw her head back and wailed loudly, attracting the attention of Nyx, Hunter and Cain, who all slowly looked inside the room. She lowered her head and continued to cry into the pillow she held, basically unaware of their presence. The three looked at each other and entered the room quietly. " What's going on?" Cain asked. Ivy looked up at them and gave them this sort of look, trying her best to signal what was going on, but they weren't exactly getting it, up until Hunter asked. " Is it about that guy... what's his face?" Ivy shook her head violently, trying to keep him quiet, when Violet looked up at them and sniffled. " His name was Vash." she mumbled softly, her hand began to sting, and she didn't know why, until she remembered something from the motel not long ago.

****************flashback*****************

Violet entered her room and closed the door behind her, a large mirror stood right next to the bed. She approached it and looked at herself for a brief moment, before slamming her hand into the glass, shattering it on contact and drawing blood. She fell to her knees and clutched her injured hand, tears rolling down her cheeks. _What's wrong with me? Why do I always manage to screw up something?_ She sobbed loudly, praying no one would hear her. _I'll never amount to anything. I'm useless._ Violet looked at her reflection in a piece of shattered glass and sighed. _Am I good enough to even survive? _She lowered her head in shame, blood dripped onto the carpeted floor, she sat on her bed and wiped her tears with her good hand and laid on her back, facing the plain white ceiling, before slowly drifting off to sleep.

*************** end flashback **************

Gently she held her hand close to her and immediately burst into tears again, so many thoughts were going through her mind, from the moment they first met to the moment he died in her care. " I... I.. god... oh god I loved him... more then anything...we... we were..." she trailed off and clenched her fists angrily, she couldn't handle it anymore, it was all too much. She stood up and shoulders past the three boys and retreated into the room her and Al shared, slamming the door behind her. _Please let me still have it..._ she searched around the backpack Gilbert always had, she had borrowed it... mostly to get her little escape from reality that she always kept inside. Violet searched the backpack until she felt something sharp cut the tip of her finger, she smiled and took hold of the razor, it cut her hand just a little bit. Slowly she pulled her hand out of the bag and took the sharp object before retreating to the back corner of the room. She rolled up her sleeves and delicately set the razor on her skin, before dragging it, back and forth, he could feel blood dripping down her arm every time she moved the razor.

_What am I doing?! I promised myself I would never do it again... but..._ she looked down at the blood dripping down her arms onto her jeans and smiled. _It feels so right._ She closed her eyes and rolled down her sleeve, watching the blood soak straight through the fabric of her shirt, then rolled up her other sleeve and continued. She began crying again, harder then before, when suddenly she heard a voice.

" So you actually went and did it huh?"

Violet opened her eyes and looked up to see Hunter, Nyx and Cain sitting on the bed watching her. She looked away and crossed her arms, dropping the razor down her shirt to keep them from getting a hold of it. " So what if I did?" she muttered. " You really think we have a problem reaching down your shirt to get it?" " Eh?!" " Haha, just kidding, but seriously. When Al finds out he's gonna be pissed." " What's he gonna do?!" Violet stood up angrily and faced them. " I don't care what he does! Kick me out! Kill me! Tell my family! I don't care! Nothing could be worse then what I'm feeling now!" " You sure about that doll?"

Violet froze, her heart skipping a beat, slowly she spun around and saw Al, leaning in the doorway behind her, taking a drag from his cigarette, his sunglasses over his eyes. " A-Al! I-" " Sit down Violet, guys, can you go for a minute?" Violet watched desperately as the three sighed and walked out, Cain paused for a moment and whispered something in Al's ear before walking out and closing the door behind him. Al put out his cigarette and sighed as Violet sat in a chair that was placed against the wall. He sighed and, faster then Violet had ever seen anyone go, grabbed a bat out of the corner, it had old rusty nails stuck in it, and shards of glass, and swung it. Violet screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, only to hear the wall directly next to her crack, and pieces of drywall landed in her hair. She covered her face with her hands and shrunk away, her tears starting to flow again. " Give me the razor!" Violet immediately reached down her shirt and grabbed it, she gave it to him in seconds, her hand shaking as he snatched it away.

He threw it across the room, or so Violet guessed after hearing the sound of metal hitting a hardwood floor. " What were you thinking?!" Violet shook her head and continued to cry, the sound of Al yelling at her rung in her ears, she couldn't take it anymore, she just couldn't handle it.

" Why didn't you just kill me then?!"

All was silent, as Violet waited for a response, the voices in her head were killing her, she couldn't take the pain any longer, she was just ready to die. When Al finally answered, it was one she wasn't expecting at all.

" Because you remind me of myself." Violet looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with tears. He couldn't stand seeing her so upset, and thinking that cutting and suicide was the only way out of it... not like he was. Al knelt down and took both of her hands, they were so small and frail compared to his. He gently rolled up her sleeves and reached into the backpack next to him, he grabbed the gauze and wrapped up both arms. She was going to be okay, whether she wanted to or not. " I really like you Violet. And I know your brother, sister, and nephew wouldn't do well without you. I understand you miss your boyfriend, but I'm here for you if you ever need me." he smiled and gently cupped her face in his hands, her skin was so soft, and a little sticky from all her tears. After a few moments of just staring into her eyes, he kissed her softly, and the reaction he received was much different then the one he was expecting.

She pushed him away and stared at him with tears in her eyes. " A-Al... I.. I really like you too but... but it's too soon." Al smiled soothingly and hugged her gently. " Okay... it's fine... I'll wait."


	4. Bad Memories

Al groaned and sat up in bed, his head was killing him and he wasn't sure why. He looked around and saw a huge dent in the wall, then he remembered what happened the night before. Al looked over to Violet, who was sleeping peacefully next to him. Ever so softly he moved her hair away from her forehead, nothing, no bruises, not even a scratch. Al smiled and climbed out of bed, he began to walk out, until he heard quiet mumbling from the room. " N...No... No... No please no. Stop it. Please! H-Help! Help me! Oh god help me!" Violet cried, tossing and turning in bed. " No! No! NO!" she shrieked, before suddenly and rapidly sitting up. She began panting heavily and gripping the bed sheets. " Violet are you okay?" Al asked, turning and facing her in concern. " Al... Al..." Violet whimpered, she stood up and ran to him with tears in her eyes. " Al! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" she begged, gripping onto his t-shirt.

" Violet! C-Calm down! I'm not going anywhere." he pulled her closer and sat down on the bed with her in his arms. " What's wrong doll? Are you okay?" Al asked. " I had a bad dream... I'll be fine, just... got a little scared." she inhaled deeply and looked at him nervously. " I hope I didn't bother you or anything." she mumbled. Al smirked and stood up, pulling her up with him. " No! Not at all. Come on. We need to get some food in you." he spun her around and listened to her laughter as she stumbled backward. " You asshole!" Violet smiled and grabbed his hand, he had to admit, she did look really cute in his t-shirt, it was big on her, but not too big. Al heard a knock at the door, and Ivy opened it slowly. " Okay what the hell is going on in here?" Ivy asked. Violet smiled and ran over to her happily. " Oh nothing~" she laughed and spun around to look at Al. " Come on! I've got an idea!"

Within a few minutes Nyx was chasing Violet down the hall way, shouting various curses that Al had never even heard. " You little bitch!" Violet laughed and ran behind Al. " Protect me Al!" she giggled as Nyx stopped dead in front of Al and held out his hand. " Come on hand over the girl!" " What did she do?!" Violet chuckled and tapped his shoulder softly. " I may have jumped on his stomach and woke him up." Al laughed and stepped aside playfully. " I don't think there's anything I can do for you in that case." Violet screamed and ran into their bedroom, just slamming the door in time to stop Nyx from entering. " Why you little bitch!" he pounded on the door angrily. " Oh my god! Will you idiots shut the hell up?!" Cain shouted from his room, he walked out the door angrily and glared at Nyx. " Can you hold off on attempted murder for a few more hours!" he rolled his eyes and retreated back into his room, while Nyx was distracted Violet poked her head out the door and giggled. " You got in trouble." she teased. Nyx looked over to her and moved to open the door, but yet again she manage to get it closed just in time.

" Nyx you're such a spaz." Ivy mumbled quietly, while holding Peter on her lap and bouncing him softly on her knee. " Don't have you have supplies to get or something?" she looked expectantly over to Al. " You too?" Al groaned and leaned back against the wall. " I don't want too~ and either way there's no way I'm going with just Nyx." Nyx looked over to him and growled angrily, causing Al to laugh loudly. " SHUT UP! DAMN!" Cain yelled. The three looked over to the door to his room and waited in silence for a moment before quietly making their way into the kitchen. " Maybe I can get Gil to go with you guys. I mean-" " No. He's the father of your child, I'm sure he's more needed around here at this point. I'll go with Nyx and get what we need." Al smirked and grabbed his bat, slinging it over his shoulder and moving toward the door. " Coming?" he asked. Nyx nodded and grabbed his rifle off the table before following him out the door, but right as the door closed Al turned back and looked over to Ivy. " Do me a favor and let Violet know that I'll be back in a bit." Ivy smiled and nodded. He grinned and closed the door, just as Violet ran out from the hallway and laughed. " Haha! I win!" she sat down next to Ivy, who was still holding the baby. " So you and Al huh?" Ivy teased, nudging her playfully in the arm. Violet blushed and looked away nervously. " I'm honestly not quite sure about Al and I... he really likes me... and I like him... but Vash only died a few weeks ago, and it's still too soon. I mean, I feel like I'm... I don't know... I guess it sort of feels like I'm cheating on him or something, even though he's gone."

Ivy nodded and set the baby on her lap, then crossed her arms. " Yeah, that makes sense. I understand. Hey... you know... you should do something for him. Something nice you know?" Ivy suggested. Violet sighed and leaned back in the doorway with her arms loosely crossed over her chest. She stared straight ahead at the wall and shrugged. " What exactly would I do? I mean I barely even know him or what kind of weird shit he's into. And-" " Al's kind of a violent guy." Violet jumped a little as Hunter pushed his way past her and chuckled at her reaction. He sat down on one of the counter tops and sighed. " He's not exactly what you would call a hero. If anything he's more of a villain. The only reason I trust him is because he owes me, so he wouldn't do anything to piss me off. But as for you three... or well... four I guess... I don't know why he's kept you around for so long." he explained, taking a bottle of water from one of the cabinets behind him.

" Well... he doesn't seem like a bad guy... I mean-" " Is that what you think? Even after he nearly bashed your head in?" Ivy looked back and forth between the two of them, eventually her gaze landed on Violet. " What is he talking about?" she asked. Violet suddenly stood up and glared at Hunter, who immediately began smirking, and even laughing a little. " How would you know?!" Violet shouted angrily. " I kind of assumed. I mean considering that there's a huge hole in the wall of your room." Ivy gently set the baby down on the counter and stood up. " And you just chose not to tell me about this! Violet what the actual hell?!" Violet stared at Ivy for a few moments then backed up slowly, maybe Al wasn't as good a guy as she thought. Her eyes widened and she ran into the room, immediately she began going through drawers and gasped at the things she found. Knives, guns, even actual swords in his drawers, not to mention the huge bat... but that he's took with him. " Oh my god..." she brushed her bangs back with one hand and stumbled backwards into the wall. " I can't believe it..." Violet turned around to look at Ivy and Hunter, who were standing in the doorway, Ivy giving her a look of sympathy, while Hunter's face was stone cold.

" I... I don't know what to say..." " I wouldn't expect you to. Just wait, the last time he told a girl he loved her, he got his way with her, and left her in the hotel, never saw her again. You'll be no different." He walked off, leaving Violet and Ivy standing there in shock. Ivy looked over to Violet and sighed. " Violet... maybe we should-" " No... No I won't believe it. Al _is_ a good guy! I know he is! Just watch you'll see! All of you!" Violet shouted. Ivy nodded and smiled a little bit. " Just know your brother and I are here for you if you ever need us. I'm gonna go... I'll see you in a little bit okay?" Ivy smiled sympathetically before closing the door. Violet simply stood there, staring at the many weapons she'd found. Ever so slowly she made her way to the drawer and grabbed one of the knives. She felt the smooth blade and ran it in between her fingertips, she could see her own reflection, as the light that shined off it moved across her face. She gripped it harder, then threw it across the room, and watched the blade sink into the wall. Violet stared at it for a few moments, then clenched her fists and looked away sadly.

_No... their wrong... I won't be like that... not again... they'll see..._

She slowly rose her head and looked at the drawers full of deadly weapons. She slowly picked up one of the guns and held it in her hands, as a small smile made it's way onto her face.

_Vash used to have one just like this one._

Slowly she rose the gun and aimed it at the handle of the knife, she looked straight down the barrel of the gun and smirked.

**BANG**

Perfect hit.


	5. I won't let you down

Al smirked as he opened the door just in time to watch Violet yank a knife out of the wall, she must've found his little collection. He laughed and closed the door again, before taking another drag from his cigarette. " Hey doll. What's up?" Violet jumped and turned to look at him, she looked at the knife and hid it behind her bag nervously. " Oh! Um.. hey Al! Just... uh... um... I was-" " Yeah I know you were playing with knives. That's not very safe you know." he teased. Violet nodded and set the knife down. She looked over to Al and sat down on the floor. " So... Um... how'd that go?" she asked nervously. " Fine. Why? Did you miss me?" Al grinned at her, making her face go pale, she looked away and sighed sadly. " Al... about a few nights ago..." she stood up and faced him, although her heart was beating out of her chest, she stood tall and faced him with a hint of confidence shining bright through her now dull red eyes. " How can I trust you Al? You could've killed me! I have a little nephew now! I can't die. My family needs me. You said it yourself... you told me you liked me. But after that... how can I know you really want me for something more then... well... you know. If you expect me to believe that you're gonna have to prove it to me. And so far that hasn't been going well for you." Violet sat down on the bed and gripped onto the covers angrily. " I don't want to live through all this shit, but I have a family who does. I'll do anything to keep them safe, and if you're going to get in my way I'll take them and leave." she finished, at this point she was near tears, after all, it was a little hypocritical for her to be saying those things after what happened a few days ago.

" Violet..." Al trailed off and sighed, he sat down next to her and nodded softly. " I see why you're probably upset, I would be too if I were in your shoes. Now tell me... do you really think... that after all I said about you, saying that you shouldn't kill yourself I mean... do you think I would say that and get so angry if I didn't mean every word of it?" Al asked, Violet sighed and turned her head farther away, making sure he just barely see her face. " I'm not sure Al... that's the problem. Do..." she sighed and stood up. " Do you... um... wanna tell me your full name Al?" she laughed a little bit and scratched the back of her head. " I know it probably sounds stupid. But I'm curious, Al seems like more a nickname." Al stared at her blankly and groaned, he ran his hands through his auburn hair and nodded. " I guess I should've seen this coming. It's Allen. Allen F. Jones." Violet nodded and sat down next to him again. " I'm gonna keep calling you Al. I was just curious." she looked away, only to feel his fingertips slide under her chin and lift her head to look at him, immediately she made eye contact with him, and something about his eyes felt... different. The feeling she had when she looked at him was strange... it wasn't love... maybe more like fear... no... no that wasn't it... it was almost a strange mixture of the two. Her breathing sped up as her heart rate increased, the two just stared at each other in silence for a moment, then Violet gently moved his hand away. " Al... Al I can't! I'm sorry but-" " I'm not expecting you to do anything. I just need to say that... you make me feel different, like I'm not in control anymore, you are. I don't like it... not at all... but at the same time I'm willing to accept it, only because it's you. I won't hurt you... but there are a few things you should know." Al took her small fragile hands in his and squeezed them just a little bit.

" For starters... I have a... well... problem... with controlling my anger. If I snap, you need to get away from me, I won't hold back, no matter who you are. I promise I'll do my best, but it's not going to be something easy. Then... there's my disease." he stopped suddenly and knelt down to be at eye level with her. " I have muscular dystrophy. You probably don't know what that is, but it basically dissolves my muscles from the legs up, there's an abandoned hospital down the road, and I just need to tell you, if something goes wrong and my legs give out. Go there, room 128, there are prosthetic's there, you're gonna have to..." he trailed off and whispered the rest into her ear. Her eyes widened and began to water at the thought of... cutting his legs off. She stood up and shook her head violently. " Al no! That's too much! I can't do that! I'm not a doctor how the hell am I gonna be able to line up the prosthetic with the nerve endings! How-" " Violet calm down." he grabbed her shoulders roughly and looked at her with worry, he felt horrible, he was probably putting a lot of pressure on her, when suddenly...

" Shit! Gil look out!"

Violet looked to the door for mere seconds before she ran out, leaving Al staring after her. She rounded the corner of the hallway and saw him looking desperately for something to fend himself with against the zombies, a good ten of them had gotten into the house, but more were piling in through the opened door. She ran to Gil and yanked the zombie back, but immediately it turned on her, and had her on the ground. Violet tried to kick it off, but with no success.

_This is it... I'm gonna die here..._

Or so she thought, until the things head went flying across the room, and it's body went limp on top of hers, she pushed it off and made her way to her feet. Cain smiled at her and nodded, holding onto the metal pipe he'd taken off the faucet. " You can thank me later." Violet nodded and looked over to Gilbert, who was staring at her, she couldn't quite figure out the look in his eyes, but eventually she held out her hand to him. " Come on. We haven't had a lot of bonding time lately." she took his hand and ran into Al's room with him, she began going through the many drawers of weapons and picked out two guns, she closed the door and was about to turn around, until she heard him speak.

" Is it really you Violet?"

Violet looked at him in confusion, then approached him with the guns. " What do you mean? Of course it's me." Gilbert sighed and snatched the gun away from her. " That's not what I meant. God dammit... I can't believe how grown up you are." he bit his lip hard, practically drawing blood, then hugged her tightly. " You've been through so much Violet. I'm so proud of you, and I'm so sorry I... I let all these things happen to you. I really let you down. I'm supposed to be the one protecting you, not the other way around... I'm so... so sorry." Violet pulled away from him and smiled. " It's okay, I'm fine, now come on, we don't have all day." she took his hand and ran outside and immediately started firing, most of the zombies turned on her. She continued shooting, but was suddenly thrown in the room behind her. Gilbert looked over to her and smiled sadly. " I'm sorry Violet..." her eyes widened as he closed the door and leaned back against it.

" But I won't let you down again..."


	6. A New Face

Violet rammed on the door with her shoulder, but there was no getting it open, she could hear gunshots outside, but she knew it wouldn't be long until he ran out of ammunition, and Violet's gun was still with her. " Gil! Open the door!" she begged. Out of nowhere everything got sort of distant, she placed a hand on her forehead and stumbled to the back of the closet. She felt dizzy, and she didn't know why. That's when it hit her, she hadn't been eating! It was like Al said, and she had forgotten to eat with all the stress. Her back hit the wall, and she inhaled and exhaled deeply until the dizzy feeling was gone. " Gil..?" she moved to the door and listened quietly for any sounds, when she realized, there was nothing, literally everything was quiet. " Gil?" she began to feel choked up, and slowly turned the door knob. " Oh god... oh god..." she looked around and saw blood, and a lot of it at that. Finally she got the door all the way open and saw a flash of white before being pulled into a tight embrace, within seconds she was crying hysterically.

" I told you I wouldn't let you down."

" You're okay!" Violet tightened her grip on him and sobbed quietly into his shoulder. " You scared the crap out of me Gil! I thought you were gonna die!" Gilbert laughed a little bit and gently pushed her back. " It's okay. Everyone's fine. Everyone." Violet sighed in relief and hugged him tightly. " Thank god. I was so scared. Don't fucking do that to me!" she hugged him again and smiled. Gilbert nodded and pulled her closer to him, he gently stroked her hair, earning a small groan from a certain red-eyed American. After a few minutes Violet pulled herself away from him, smiling softly. " I love you." " I love you too." Gilbert kissed her forehead softly and sighed. " This is gonna be a bitch to clean." " We'll take care of it." Nyx offered, he gave them a small thumbs up and laughed. " You guys need a break anyway, that was some crazy shit." Violet nodded and immediately ran into the kitchen and grabbed a small bowl of cereal and ate it as fast as possible, although it made her sick she really had no other option.

After she was done she made her way into " her" room and laid face up on the bed, the door open and someone sat next to her. " Hey doll. Whatcha doin~" Al laid next to her and laughed as she groaned and turned to him. " Being tired, and probably sick, you know the usual." Al smirked and pulled her close to him. " How are those arms of yours doing?" he asked, gently rubbing her wrists. " Fine actually, it's weird though, sometimes when people touch them they sting like a mother fucker. Wanna stop?" Violet snapped. " I don't like your attitude!" Al growled, something in his eyes seemed different, but Violet ignored it. " Well fuck, it's not like my brother almost just died for me or anything. No~ I'm totally fine." within a few seconds he was on top of her, pinning her wrists down to the mattress, he red eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, and not the good kind of glowing either.

" Al?! Wha... What're you-" " I don't take anyone's shit got it!" his face was mere inches from hers at this point, and his grip on her wrists tightened. " Al stop it! Get off of me!" she cried, panic clearly rising inside her, she brought her knees up into his stomach. Al coughed and doubled over in pain, Violet pulled herself up and ran to the door of the room, she yanked it open and ran to the opposite side of the house, where she noticed something she hadn't before. A staircase! She ran up the stairs and listened to the sound of Al's bat scraping across the hard wood floor. She ran into the first room she saw and slammed the door, her eyes closed, once she opened them, there was only one thing that she noticed.

Blood.

Violet moved into the farthest corner of the room and waited quietly. She heard nothing, and let out a sigh of relief and began to look around. Why was there so much blood? That's when she noticed something else, an... arm?! Also... across the room, an eye?! Oh god, what demented thing was Al hiding. Or so thought it was Al, until she felt cold sharp metal pressed against her throat, and a British accent from behind her.

" Well, well, looks like I've found my next ingredient."

Violet stood, frozen in fear as the man circled around her and grinned. He was about her height, with pink hair and blue eyes... but his eyes... had... rings in them. Pink rings, there was three in his eyes, what could that mean? " What a shame too. You're such a pretty young lady." he placed the knife under her chin and giggled just a little bit, until the door began to open.

" Back off Oliver. The girl's mine."

Violet stared at Al nervously, he looked calmer, but still at least slightly irritated. He gripped the handle of his bat tighter, while Oliver held her wrists against the wall with one hand, and waved the knife around in the other. " Oh but Allen she's just too adorable." he looked back to her, causing Violet to notice the fourth ring that had formed in his eyes, she traced the blade against her cheek in a thin line, drawing blood. Violet squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered quietly, the blood began to drip down her cheek. " A-Allen... what's going on?" Violet whispered. " Allen? Oh love he gave you his real name? You must be quite important to him. It's too bad, what a waste of beautiful skin. Oh, and those eyes, well aren't they just something." she could feel his piercing gaze lock on to her, and she slowly opened her eyes out of pure fear.

Five rings.

" Violet... um... this is my brother... Oliver..." " Violet. Well isn't that just a gorgeous name, one to match a beautiful face." he traced her jawline with his thumb and laughed... that laugh... it sent shivers up her spine, that wasn't normal. " Oliver. Relax." she recognized Hunter's voice from the doorway, as other footsteps approached. " Yeah dude take a chill pill. We know it's been a while but you have to let her go." Nyx mumbled quietly, she watched Nyx, Hunter and Al all slowly approaching him from behind. " Awwww." Oliver pouted. " That's too bad. Because-" he fell to the floor, and without even thinking Violet ran to the person closest to her and hugged him tightly. He pulled her back away from Oliver and held her close to him. Immediately she recognized the smell of cigarette and her eyes widened. She looked up and saw Al, who was glaring down at her... she couldn't tell if she saw anger, or worry...

But she prayed it wasn't anger.


	7. Back Again

Al dragged her downstairs by her wrist and sat her down in the kitchen, he began looking for something in the drawers. Violet sat perfectly still and waited nervously, although she just wanted to run. Away from Al and his lies, away from everyone's. While she zoned out she failed to notice Al approach her with a wet washcloth, some bandages and peroxide. " This might sting a little, Oliver doesn't have any running water up there." he tilted her head to the side and poured some peroxide into the cut, the stinging pain immediately brought Violet back into reality. She winced a little and grabbed the closest thing to her and squeezed, which just so happened to be Al's hand. He stared at her for a moment, then softly held her hand and continued to wash out the cut. The two sat in silence until he finished, then Violet stood up and moved toward the door, but Al held firmly onto her hand. " And where do you think you're going?"

" Away from here." Violet muttered as she attempted to pull her hand out of his grasp, to no avail, his grip was too strong. " Like hell you are." " Who are you my dad?" " No but I'll tell your brother." " Go ahead. While you're at it don't forget to tell him how you almost killed me for the second time in a few days." " Violet look I'm fucking sorry!" " But you're not! You really do only want me for sex don't you?! Maybe Hunter was right! Maybe I **am** just like the others! A useless fucking toy in your eyes! Now let. Me. Go!" Violet cried. Al tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her into him, kissing her lips roughly. Violet's eyes widened, and she tried to squirm away, with no luck. She eventually calmed down and melted into it, much to her dismay, she actually enjoyed it.

_I can't do this! What about Vash?! He..._

She felt a wave of sadness rush over her. Vash... oh god... Vash... it felt like she was cheating on him! She loved him so much. She began to cry softly, he would be so hurt if he saw this. Or... would he? Wouldn't he want her to be happy? No! No she couldn't do it! Al slowly parted from her, only leaving about an inch or two of space between them, Violet refused to look up past her bangs as the truth began to hit her. She was going to have to move on, despite not wanting to, she could barely force out the words, as she felt something new rising inside her.

" Thank you Al."

Violet looked up at him with tears in her eyes, she just wanted proof that this wasn't wrong. Part of her was still heartbroken over Vash, but yet she also felt something for Al, something she hadn't felt since Vash's death. Part of her was shocked, Al... of all people she wouldn't have expected to have fallen for him. But yet, in the end, she felt like maybe... _maybe_... this could work out. Violet heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Hunter, Nyx and... Oliver. Nyx laughed at the sight of the two, still mere inches apart, Al had a stern look on his face, while Violet's was completely red and flustered. " Damn! Get a room you two!" Nyx teased. Violet looked over to them and pushed Al back, causing him to notice their presence also, making his face go red... until he saw Oliver, then his face went stone cold.

" Well hello again poppet! Terribly sorry about earlier, I suppose I should learn to control myself better wouldn't you agree?" Oliver smiled brightly and approached Violet, he held out his hand to her and continued his child-like actions. " We haven't exactly had a proper introduction have we? I'm Oliver Kirkland! Allen here told me to stay upstairs once he brought you in because he didn't want me to kill you." " Eh?!" " Oliver shut the hell up!" Al shouted, he pulled Violet closer to him, his shouting bringing Ivy, Gilbert and Cain out from their rooms. " What the hell is going on here?!" Gilbert asked, taking notice of the large bandage on Violet's cheek. " Who's this guy?!" Ivy asked, referring to Oliver. While everyone was yelling and freaking out, no one noticed Violet slip out of the house, with a gun behind her back. Of course Al wouldn't approve of this, it was too " dangerous." but she just wanted some alone time, and apparently that was impossible to get in that house.

She sat down in a small patch of trees on the edge of the yard and sighed quietly. Too much was happening too fast, she couldn't take anymore. She set a hand of her forehead and leaned her head back, she couldn't stop thinking about all that had happened. Yet... she also couldn't help but think about all that could happen. She heard someone sit next to her, and looked over, no one was there... Violet stared at the spot, what was going on? She stood up and spun around at the sound of footsteps and was met with a pair of shining emerald green eyes. Her eyes widened as she looked over the man she was seeing, this couldn't be right... no way... but yet... there he was... right in front of her.

" Vash..."

Vash smiled and opened his arms to her, she ran into them and hugged him tightly, tears drizzled down her porcelain skin as she hugged him tightly. " H-How is this p-possible?! You're dead!" Violet stated matter-of-factly. She took his hands and stared him in the eyes, he chuckled softly and squeezed her hands. " So what if I am? You should know better then to think I wouldn't find a way to see you." he kissed her lips softly, oh how she missed it. He parted from her and smiled softly while gazing into her eyes. " I've been watching you ya know." he muttered. Violet's face dropped and she looked away sadly. " So I take it you're upset." she mumbled. " No... not at all. Far from it actually. You've been pretty upset about this I know. But you need to do this one thing for me." his face became stern and he stared deeply into her eyes. " You need to move on. I understand it'll be hard, but I'm happy here." Ja! Big bruder and I have done so much since he came back!" Violet spun around and saw another familiar face, Violet ran over to her and pulled Lilli into a tight embrace.

As soon as she moved away from Lilli she turned around and her eyes widened. Everyone was there.

Alfred

Arthur

Peter

Matthew

Michelle

Raivis

Lilli

… And Vash

" How... How is this happening?" Violet asked, standing up straight. " Hmmmm... I don't know... how do _you_ think this is happening?" Alfred teased, nudging his brother Arthur playfully in the shoulder. " Alfred you twit would leave the poor girl alone? She's clearly distraught." Arthur slapped him upside the back of the head, causing him to laugh a little. " Alright, but the point is, Violet, it's okay, if you see other guys. I'm dead. I promise you everything's fine so don't doubt yourself." Vash smiled and lifted her chin gently with his fingertips. " Just remember, the love we had was real. And I'll always love you, no matter what." he leaned forward and their lips met. Her eyes closed, and she kissed him back, savoring every moment. The two separated and she slowly opened her eyes.

And she was alone.


End file.
